B/R Draft Profile: Malcolm Jenkins

With the NFL Combine closing in its time to take a look at the draft prospects of some of college football's most promising players. Malcolm Jenkins is the stand out corner from The Ohio State University and he is currently projecting as a top five pick.

Physically speaking Jenkins is the ideal NFL corner at 6'0" and 195 lbs. While a little lean and lacking a little physicality he has excellent speed, expect Jenkins to have a solid 4.4 second forty yard dash or better at the combine.

Jenkins' speed isn't just straight line explosion, his hips are excellent and he stays in the back pocket of college footballs most agile receivers. His closing burst is a notch below elite, but he can make up ground if beaten and if the QB hangs the ball just a little Jenkins will be there to make a play.

Jenkins' relative lack of bulk is a concern in the run game and against the larger, more physical NFL receivers like an Andre Johnson. While he lacks the highlight reel hits, Jenkins has surprised most GMs that have watched his game film in how consistent he actually is at stopping the run. An excellent open field tackler, Jenkins takes good angles on ball carriers and rarely lets them get past him unimpeded.

The lack of physicality is an issue when in comes to applying press defense, which Jenkins does not do normally. He prefers to play back off and make plays on the ball instead of the man, so expect more physically minded defenses like the Packers, Bears, Steelers and Ravens to pass on him even if they get a chance to take him.

Jenkins' draft prospects are excellent and its unlikely any of those defenses even see him on the board, because he will be long gone by the 10th pick. There is little reason why he shouldn't be an elite cover corner in the NFL and anchor pass defenses for years to come.